Most People are Aware of Credit Card Fraud: Learn What Other Identity Theft Crimes May Affect you
By admin | December 6, 2008
Rick Churchill asked:
According to the Federal Trade Commission, the most common types of identity theft are credit card fraud, utility fraud, bank and loan fraud, employment-related fraud, and government document or benefit fraud. While many people are award of credit card fraud as it is the number one crime committed and is also the easiest way a criminal can use your information, it is important to understand the other types of identity theft in order to protect yourself. It is the goal of this article to discuss remaining four types of identity theft and some ways to protect you from each method. While nobody is completely safe from identity theft, there are steps you can take to reduce the chance of becoming a victim.
Identity theft can extend to utility fraud which is currently rated the number two type of fraud in the United States and is actually higher then credit card fraud in certain states. Utility fraud is relatively easy to commit and is the practice of an identity thief using your personal information to obtain utility accounts such as gas, electric, water and sewer, cable, and other services. The thief can also setup telecommunication accounts such a home or cell phone and in many cases a thief needs only your name, address and phone number to commit utility fraud. About 15 percent of senior victims report that an identity thief obtained unauthorized telecommunications or utility equipment or services in their name. In order to avoid utility fraud it is imperative that you keep a tight rein on all of your personal information. Burn or shred any documents or mail with your personal information on it instead of putting it in the trash as many thieves are not above dumpster diving.
Bank and loan fraud is another identity theft crime that often affects the elderly as about 10 percent of all victims over age 60 reported fraud involving their checking or saving accounts and seven percent reported that an identity thief obtained a loan in their name. Bank fraud is sometimes perpetrated from the inside by a bank employee or manager who already has access to financial information and will sell it to the highest bidder. There are also thieves who already have some of your information and will disguise themselves as a bank official to try and get banking account numbers. Never give any information over the phone to somebody that claims that they work for a financial institution. Instead, ask for an appointment where you can meet with them in person at the bank. It is also important that you never click on an e-mail link in a message said to be from a financial institution asking for information to verify your account. A legitimate bank will never use this type of communication.
Employment fraud comes in two styles with the first type being where someone steals your social security number to get employment. With the ever increasing influx of illegal immigrants looking for work in the United States, the chance of somebody using your social security number to find gainful employment is on the rise. In fact, about two percent of victims over the age of 60 reported that an identity thief used their personal information for employment purposes. While you can reduce the possibility of this crime by keeping tight control of who has access to your social security number, there are no guarantees as many of these illegal immigrants will pick as social security number at random. While most people utilizing this method are simply people looking for work and not true identity thieves, the method is still illegal and can cause some negative effects for the victim.
The second type of employment fraud should be particularly concerning to most Americans as this is the practice of a thief obtaining employment in small businesses such as doctors offices, dentists, and banks to gain access to patient or customer records. Because it is the responsibility of a business to keep their records safe, there is very little an individual can do about this type of crime other then choose only well known and reputable businesses with a strong privacy policy.
Government fraud can occur in many ways including tactics such as applying for government benefits, unemployment insurance, financial aid, or even filing for bankruptcy while using somebody elses social security number. Some identity thieves will commit traffic violations or other crimes and then give a victims personal information when caught as it is easy to get falsified drivers licenses, state IDs, bank cards, and social security numbers if you know where to look. While government fraud is a major focus for the law enforcement groups and agencies in the United States and government fraud comes with a high penalty, too few criminals are ever caught. Once again it is up to you to protect your personal information to avoid this type of fraud.
As you can see, identity thieves are not limited to credit card fraud but can practice other techniques such as the four listed above. Even though credit card fraud, utility fraud, bank and loan fraud, employment-related fraud, and government document fraud are the top 5 methods that identity theft criminals utilize, it would be foolish to think that they are the only methods available. The methods that an enterprising thieve may employ is limited by only their imagination. Because identity theft has become so common a crime it is impossible to be completely safe but you can take steps to reduce the risk. The important thing is to take some type of action be it taking steps on your own or employing an identity theft program such as LifeLock.
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According to the Federal Trade Commission, the most common types of identity theft are credit card fraud, utility fraud, bank and loan fraud, employment-related fraud, and government document or benefit fraud. While many people are award of credit card fraud as it is the number one crime committed and is also the easiest way a criminal can use your information, it is important to understand the other types of identity theft in order to protect yourself. It is the goal of this article to discuss remaining four types of identity theft and some ways to protect you from each method. While nobody is completely safe from identity theft, there are steps you can take to reduce the chance of becoming a victim.
Identity theft can extend to utility fraud which is currently rated the number two type of fraud in the United States and is actually higher then credit card fraud in certain states. Utility fraud is relatively easy to commit and is the practice of an identity thief using your personal information to obtain utility accounts such as gas, electric, water and sewer, cable, and other services. The thief can also setup telecommunication accounts such a home or cell phone and in many cases a thief needs only your name, address and phone number to commit utility fraud. About 15 percent of senior victims report that an identity thief obtained unauthorized telecommunications or utility equipment or services in their name. In order to avoid utility fraud it is imperative that you keep a tight rein on all of your personal information. Burn or shred any documents or mail with your personal information on it instead of putting it in the trash as many thieves are not above dumpster diving.
Bank and loan fraud is another identity theft crime that often affects the elderly as about 10 percent of all victims over age 60 reported fraud involving their checking or saving accounts and seven percent reported that an identity thief obtained a loan in their name. Bank fraud is sometimes perpetrated from the inside by a bank employee or manager who already has access to financial information and will sell it to the highest bidder. There are also thieves who already have some of your information and will disguise themselves as a bank official to try and get banking account numbers. Never give any information over the phone to somebody that claims that they work for a financial institution. Instead, ask for an appointment where you can meet with them in person at the bank. It is also important that you never click on an e-mail link in a message said to be from a financial institution asking for information to verify your account. A legitimate bank will never use this type of communication.
Employment fraud comes in two styles with the first type being where someone steals your social security number to get employment. With the ever increasing influx of illegal immigrants looking for work in the United States, the chance of somebody using your social security number to find gainful employment is on the rise. In fact, about two percent of victims over the age of 60 reported that an identity thief used their personal information for employment purposes. While you can reduce the possibility of this crime by keeping tight control of who has access to your social security number, there are no guarantees as many of these illegal immigrants will pick as social security number at random. While most people utilizing this method are simply people looking for work and not true identity thieves, the method is still illegal and can cause some negative effects for the victim.
The second type of employment fraud should be particularly concerning to most Americans as this is the practice of a thief obtaining employment in small businesses such as doctors offices, dentists, and banks to gain access to patient or customer records. Because it is the responsibility of a business to keep their records safe, there is very little an individual can do about this type of crime other then choose only well known and reputable businesses with a strong privacy policy.
Government fraud can occur in many ways including tactics such as applying for government benefits, unemployment insurance, financial aid, or even filing for bankruptcy while using somebody elses social security number. Some identity thieves will commit traffic violations or other crimes and then give a victims personal information when caught as it is easy to get falsified drivers licenses, state IDs, bank cards, and social security numbers if you know where to look. While government fraud is a major focus for the law enforcement groups and agencies in the United States and government fraud comes with a high penalty, too few criminals are ever caught. Once again it is up to you to protect your personal information to avoid this type of fraud.
As you can see, identity thieves are not limited to credit card fraud but can practice other techniques such as the four listed above. Even though credit card fraud, utility fraud, bank and loan fraud, employment-related fraud, and government document fraud are the top 5 methods that identity theft criminals utilize, it would be foolish to think that they are the only methods available. The methods that an enterprising thieve may employ is limited by only their imagination. Because identity theft has become so common a crime it is impossible to be completely safe but you can take steps to reduce the risk. The important thing is to take some type of action be it taking steps on your own or employing an identity theft program such as LifeLock.
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A Review of Identity Theft Insurance
By admin | November 27, 2008
Jenny DeRaspe-Bolles asked:
Because identity theft is both lucrative and easy to get away with, ID theft rings are growing and fast in crime circles from meth addicts to mafia. Consequently, there has been an overwhelming corporate response to meet increased demand for identity theft protection.
You have probably heard of LifeLock, an Identity Theft Protection company that has been in the news quite a bit lately. In a ballsy move, the company’s CEO Todd Davis has published his Social Security number (475-55-5462) prominently and dared anyone to try to steal his identity. Actions speak louder than words, and his certainly show confidence in the protection his company offers. One of the fastest growing companies in the US, Davis must have instilled confidence in his customers with inventive marketing strategy, gaining over 1,000,000 customers last year alone.
So what exactly is it and what do they do? Should you join? We’ve gathered some information about the company and the protection they offer here:
What is it and how does it work?
The system places fraud alerts at all three credit bureaus and essentially makes these alerts permanent. What is a fraud alert? In 2003 Congress passed the Fair & Accurate Credit Transactions Act (or FACTA), which forces credit bureaus to allow you to put a fraud alert on their credit reports, requiring lenders to verify your identity before issuing a card in your name. This alert is temporary, expiring after 90 days, but LifeLock essentially makes these alerts permanent by renewing them before they expire. In effect, if someone gained your personal information and attempted to open a fraudulent credit card in your name, the credit bureaus would have to speak with you to verify your identity before processing the application.
1- opts customers out of preapproved credit offers and junkmail lists, a known source of identity fraud.
2- orders your credit report from all three bureaus, which is automatically delivered to you every year.
3- True Address monitors the National Address Database and alerts you if a criminal has changed your address to receive your mail or obtain your personal information.
4- Lifelock’s Erecon monitors hacker and criminal websites for your credit card numbers and personal information, and lets you know if anyone is attempting to steal them. LifeLock will assist you in replacing your account numbers in the case your privacy has been compromised.
5- offers a $1,000,000 Total Service Guarantee. For legal reasons, LifeLock does not call this insurance. In effect, they pledge to cover your costs (i.e. reimburse financial loss, legal fees to restore credit, etc.) in the event that your identity is stolen up to the amount of one million dollars. Note, this does not cover someone stealing your credit card and using it (which rarely costs you anyway, as this is the bank’s domain). It also only covers new cases of identity theft, existing identity theft victims will not be covered. From their website:
“If your identity is stolen while you are our client, we’re going to do whatever it takes to recover your good name. If you need lawyers, we’re going to hire the best we can find. If you need investigators, accountants, case managers, whatever, they’re yours. If you lose money as a result of the theft, we’re going to give it back to you. We will do whatever it takes to help you recover your good name and we will spend up to $1,000,000 to do it.”
Other LifeLock Features:
* Identity theft protection for children (until age 15) for $25 a year
* LifeLock Customer Service is available 24 hrs 7 days a week
In summary: this is proactive rather than reactive, stopping identity theft before it happens. Security expert Bruce Schneier maintains, In reality, forcing lenders to verify identity before issuing credit is exactly the sort of thing we need to fight identity theft. Making information harder to steal can be quite difficult, you can be very smart and safe and still have your purse stolen, for example. A better solution may lie in making stolen information more difficult to use, and this is the approach LifeLock uses.
How much does it cost?
Protection costs $10 per month or you pay for a year in advance for $110 a year. In addition, various websites offer promotional codes and coupons, advertising yearly protection for $99.
Is it worth it?
It is important to know that almost all of the protection LifeLock offers (fraud alerts, credit reports, etc.) you can do yourself for free. In this regard, they are a service company, saving you the time and hassle of taking these precautions yourself. Here is the information you need to protect yourself (for free):
1. Put a fraud alert on your account. All you have to do is contact (by phone or online) one of the three major credit bureaus and request a fraud alert. No need to contact all three, as they are required to communicate fraud alerts with each other. Remember to renew the fraud alert every 90 days. Fraud Alert Contact Information:
* Equifax
* Experian
* TransUnion
2. Opt out of credit card offers and junk mail.
3. Get your free annual credit report.
In addition to these measures (whether you pay for them or do them yourself), there are other precautions you should take to protect yourself against identity theft.
* Lock your mailbox with a secure locking mailbox.
* Switch from paper bills to electronic bills.
* Shred confidential mail with a cross-cut paper shredder.
* Do not carry paper checks or your social security card on you when possible.
Content - Members-Only Content for WordPress
Because identity theft is both lucrative and easy to get away with, ID theft rings are growing and fast in crime circles from meth addicts to mafia. Consequently, there has been an overwhelming corporate response to meet increased demand for identity theft protection.
You have probably heard of LifeLock, an Identity Theft Protection company that has been in the news quite a bit lately. In a ballsy move, the company’s CEO Todd Davis has published his Social Security number (475-55-5462) prominently and dared anyone to try to steal his identity. Actions speak louder than words, and his certainly show confidence in the protection his company offers. One of the fastest growing companies in the US, Davis must have instilled confidence in his customers with inventive marketing strategy, gaining over 1,000,000 customers last year alone.
So what exactly is it and what do they do? Should you join? We’ve gathered some information about the company and the protection they offer here:
What is it and how does it work?
The system places fraud alerts at all three credit bureaus and essentially makes these alerts permanent. What is a fraud alert? In 2003 Congress passed the Fair & Accurate Credit Transactions Act (or FACTA), which forces credit bureaus to allow you to put a fraud alert on their credit reports, requiring lenders to verify your identity before issuing a card in your name. This alert is temporary, expiring after 90 days, but LifeLock essentially makes these alerts permanent by renewing them before they expire. In effect, if someone gained your personal information and attempted to open a fraudulent credit card in your name, the credit bureaus would have to speak with you to verify your identity before processing the application.
1- opts customers out of preapproved credit offers and junkmail lists, a known source of identity fraud.
2- orders your credit report from all three bureaus, which is automatically delivered to you every year.
3- True Address monitors the National Address Database and alerts you if a criminal has changed your address to receive your mail or obtain your personal information.
4- Lifelock’s Erecon monitors hacker and criminal websites for your credit card numbers and personal information, and lets you know if anyone is attempting to steal them. LifeLock will assist you in replacing your account numbers in the case your privacy has been compromised.
5- offers a $1,000,000 Total Service Guarantee. For legal reasons, LifeLock does not call this insurance. In effect, they pledge to cover your costs (i.e. reimburse financial loss, legal fees to restore credit, etc.) in the event that your identity is stolen up to the amount of one million dollars. Note, this does not cover someone stealing your credit card and using it (which rarely costs you anyway, as this is the bank’s domain). It also only covers new cases of identity theft, existing identity theft victims will not be covered. From their website:
“If your identity is stolen while you are our client, we’re going to do whatever it takes to recover your good name. If you need lawyers, we’re going to hire the best we can find. If you need investigators, accountants, case managers, whatever, they’re yours. If you lose money as a result of the theft, we’re going to give it back to you. We will do whatever it takes to help you recover your good name and we will spend up to $1,000,000 to do it.”
Other LifeLock Features:
* Identity theft protection for children (until age 15) for $25 a year
* LifeLock Customer Service is available 24 hrs 7 days a week
In summary: this is proactive rather than reactive, stopping identity theft before it happens. Security expert Bruce Schneier maintains, In reality, forcing lenders to verify identity before issuing credit is exactly the sort of thing we need to fight identity theft. Making information harder to steal can be quite difficult, you can be very smart and safe and still have your purse stolen, for example. A better solution may lie in making stolen information more difficult to use, and this is the approach LifeLock uses.
How much does it cost?
Protection costs $10 per month or you pay for a year in advance for $110 a year. In addition, various websites offer promotional codes and coupons, advertising yearly protection for $99.
Is it worth it?
It is important to know that almost all of the protection LifeLock offers (fraud alerts, credit reports, etc.) you can do yourself for free. In this regard, they are a service company, saving you the time and hassle of taking these precautions yourself. Here is the information you need to protect yourself (for free):
1. Put a fraud alert on your account. All you have to do is contact (by phone or online) one of the three major credit bureaus and request a fraud alert. No need to contact all three, as they are required to communicate fraud alerts with each other. Remember to renew the fraud alert every 90 days. Fraud Alert Contact Information:
* Equifax
* Experian
* TransUnion
2. Opt out of credit card offers and junk mail.
3. Get your free annual credit report.
In addition to these measures (whether you pay for them or do them yourself), there are other precautions you should take to protect yourself against identity theft.
* Lock your mailbox with a secure locking mailbox.
* Switch from paper bills to electronic bills.
* Shred confidential mail with a cross-cut paper shredder.
* Do not carry paper checks or your social security card on you when possible.
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Topics: Credit | No Comments »
Lifelock: Identity Theft Prevention Services
By admin | November 19, 2008
Pj Germain asked:
LifeLock is the consort to use. But they don’t stop there; LifeLock also protects you from the headache of a lost or stolen wallet. And, to help you rest at night, they back up their promises with a $1 million guarantee. LifeLock is now open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and they’re American based in Tempe, Arizona. If you would like to order their service over the phone you can call 1(877)- Lifeloc and use promotion code BestOffer or idlabs . LifeLock is said to be different because it is a system designed to prevent your identity from being stolen rather than reporting it after the fact. The company claims that it is so confident with their service that their CEO commonly publishes his own social security number because he knows his identity is safe.
LifeLock is the first identity theft protection service in the U.S. The company maintains active fraud alerts with the three major credit bureaus as well as ChexSystems, thwarting fraudulent use of personal information by requiring subscriber approval of any new credit account openings and bank account and address change requests. LifeLock is an identity theft prevention service available online. You may have heard radio advertisements in which its CEO, Todd Davis, confidently reveals his social security number. LifeLock is safe and secure. This is the most stringent security certification within the industry and LifeLock is currently the only company in the identity theft prevention field who has achieved this status.
LifeLock is a personal identity and fraud protection company founded in 2005. It is now serving tens of thousands of customers in different states of the union, the US Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. LifeLock is a scam! They are charging a ton for everything an individual can do themselves for FREE if they had the info. LifeLock is the new breed of protection. Be sure to check out the testimonials in their LifeLock Stories section.
Lifelock is eating into Experian’s core business of selling our data. Lifelock is now becoming an integral part of the human life because of its importance and necessity in the present world due to the need to avoid identity thefts. The need for it is increasing day by day. Lifelock is of the opinion that the citizens of America can do the above mentioned activity on their own. However, Lifelock ascertains that the thing is done and is done correctly.
LifeLock is the leading provider of Identity Theft Protection Services and now it gets even better. If you are considering enrolling with LifeLock, there are promotion codes available for you as well as LifeLock Special Offers. But, LifeLock is so dramatically more than that. They want to be the most comprehensive solution out there to actually prevent this crime to mitigate the risk on the front end. LifeLock is, at this time, the only company to offer credit checks and monitoring services for a member’s child who is under the age of 15. LifeLock recognizes the growing number of child identity thefts and is leading the market in providing this needed service.
LifeLock is the premier identity theft prevention company in the world today. LifeLock is adding two new identity theft protection services to their already strong lineup. The first is called eRecon and it is a high tech program that regularly scours the internet looking for compromised private records of LifeLock customers. LifeLock is one of the major and most renowned identity theft protection services throughout the world. The inexpensive and excellent service by the LifeLock community has proved to be the best identity theft protection service.
LifeLock is not the only company that offers its services to consumers (see also Debix , LoudSiren and TrustedID ). But as of this month, LifeLock had become the target of several class-action lawsuits from competitors, credit bureaus and lawyers in several states. LifeLock is currently the only identity theft protection service that has risen to the occasion and is protecting children from this crime. They now offer the world’s first identity theft protection program for children, and we have to say that really impressed us. Lifelock is now providing promotional codes. Check out our site for further details regarding this.
Website content
LifeLock is the consort to use. But they don’t stop there; LifeLock also protects you from the headache of a lost or stolen wallet. And, to help you rest at night, they back up their promises with a $1 million guarantee. LifeLock is now open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and they’re American based in Tempe, Arizona. If you would like to order their service over the phone you can call 1(877)- Lifeloc and use promotion code BestOffer or idlabs . LifeLock is said to be different because it is a system designed to prevent your identity from being stolen rather than reporting it after the fact. The company claims that it is so confident with their service that their CEO commonly publishes his own social security number because he knows his identity is safe.
LifeLock is the first identity theft protection service in the U.S. The company maintains active fraud alerts with the three major credit bureaus as well as ChexSystems, thwarting fraudulent use of personal information by requiring subscriber approval of any new credit account openings and bank account and address change requests. LifeLock is an identity theft prevention service available online. You may have heard radio advertisements in which its CEO, Todd Davis, confidently reveals his social security number. LifeLock is safe and secure. This is the most stringent security certification within the industry and LifeLock is currently the only company in the identity theft prevention field who has achieved this status.
LifeLock is a personal identity and fraud protection company founded in 2005. It is now serving tens of thousands of customers in different states of the union, the US Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. LifeLock is a scam! They are charging a ton for everything an individual can do themselves for FREE if they had the info. LifeLock is the new breed of protection. Be sure to check out the testimonials in their LifeLock Stories section.
Lifelock is eating into Experian’s core business of selling our data. Lifelock is now becoming an integral part of the human life because of its importance and necessity in the present world due to the need to avoid identity thefts. The need for it is increasing day by day. Lifelock is of the opinion that the citizens of America can do the above mentioned activity on their own. However, Lifelock ascertains that the thing is done and is done correctly.
LifeLock is the leading provider of Identity Theft Protection Services and now it gets even better. If you are considering enrolling with LifeLock, there are promotion codes available for you as well as LifeLock Special Offers. But, LifeLock is so dramatically more than that. They want to be the most comprehensive solution out there to actually prevent this crime to mitigate the risk on the front end. LifeLock is, at this time, the only company to offer credit checks and monitoring services for a member’s child who is under the age of 15. LifeLock recognizes the growing number of child identity thefts and is leading the market in providing this needed service.
LifeLock is the premier identity theft prevention company in the world today. LifeLock is adding two new identity theft protection services to their already strong lineup. The first is called eRecon and it is a high tech program that regularly scours the internet looking for compromised private records of LifeLock customers. LifeLock is one of the major and most renowned identity theft protection services throughout the world. The inexpensive and excellent service by the LifeLock community has proved to be the best identity theft protection service.
LifeLock is not the only company that offers its services to consumers (see also Debix , LoudSiren and TrustedID ). But as of this month, LifeLock had become the target of several class-action lawsuits from competitors, credit bureaus and lawyers in several states. LifeLock is currently the only identity theft protection service that has risen to the occasion and is protecting children from this crime. They now offer the world’s first identity theft protection program for children, and we have to say that really impressed us. Lifelock is now providing promotional codes. Check out our site for further details regarding this.
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Topics: Cyber Law | No Comments »
What is the Lifelock Company All About and Do you Need Its Services
By admin | November 17, 2008
Rick Churchill asked:
LifeLock claims to be one of the biggest identity theft protection companies in the world and serves both individuals and businesses. The company is based in Tempe, Arizona and was founded in 2005. LifeLock is funded by private equity investment and venture funds and is currently being valued in excess of $40 million and is well-poised to earn the leadership position in identity theft protection services. With this said, the company is obviously doing something right but does its program work? Before answering this question it is important to understand what identity theft is and what types of protection are available.
Identity theft is the fastest growing crime in the United States and is taking center stage at the White House, many homes around the nation, and is also becoming a growing concern to businesses and individuals. The concept of what identity theft is can be put in quite simple terms where a thief gains access to your personal information such as social security number, drivers license number, birth date, address, or bank account numbers. Once a thief has this information there are numerous things they can use it for but in virtually all cases the end result is devastation for the victim and their credit history. This being the case, it is obvious that people need some type of protection but what is available?
Traditional identity theft services can be broken down into several categories such as credit monitoring services, identity theft insurance, or restoration services. Credit monitoring may give someone a false sense of security because by the time the monitoring service finds a problem, the identity of the client has already been compromised. Insurance and restoration services are also reactionary and do nothing to prevent the crime as they are designed to help consumers after they have become victims. Identity theft insurance reimburses you for the costs of restoring your identity and a restoration service will often provide a representative to handle the time consuming aspect of restoring your credit.
While identity theft insurance and restoration services can be a big help to someone that has fallen victim to identity theft, a more ideal solution would be a program that prevents the theft in the first place. LifeLock is said to be different because it is a system designed to prevent your identity from being stolen rather than reporting it after the fact. The company claims that it is so confident with their service that their CEO commonly publishes his own social security number because he knows his identity is safe. To guarantee this high-quality protection, LifeLock hires companies to continually try to break into the system. If LifeLock is so effective then we must wonder how it works.
LifeLock claims to maintain locks on your credit file and keeps the locks current as they will normally expire every 90 days. The company also removes your name from pre-approved credit card offers. LifeLock offers two separate plans, one for business and the other one for individuals. For individuals, LifeLock charges a per-person monthly fee and has a discount for your children and is now said to be offering free and reduced cost to veterans. Businesses too have experienced similar success with LifeLock in terms of protecting the identities of its employees. While it is easy to see how LifeLock can benefit a large business and does work for an individual, cant someone simply do everything on their own to avoid the monthly charge?
Other then the fact that LifeLock employs Identityguard which monitors your credit reports monthly which you can’t do for free, there is nothing else that LifeLock does that an individual cant do on there own. The LifeLock program is basically a service of convenience that offers the customer a sense of security without the stress of taking care of all the little details of securing their identity not to mention remembering to keep the alerts active when they run out. In todays world it is obvious that we all need some type of protection from identity theft and whether you decide to take care of it on your own or choose a program such as LifeLock is not as important as taking some type of action to protect yourself.
Content
LifeLock claims to be one of the biggest identity theft protection companies in the world and serves both individuals and businesses. The company is based in Tempe, Arizona and was founded in 2005. LifeLock is funded by private equity investment and venture funds and is currently being valued in excess of $40 million and is well-poised to earn the leadership position in identity theft protection services. With this said, the company is obviously doing something right but does its program work? Before answering this question it is important to understand what identity theft is and what types of protection are available.
Identity theft is the fastest growing crime in the United States and is taking center stage at the White House, many homes around the nation, and is also becoming a growing concern to businesses and individuals. The concept of what identity theft is can be put in quite simple terms where a thief gains access to your personal information such as social security number, drivers license number, birth date, address, or bank account numbers. Once a thief has this information there are numerous things they can use it for but in virtually all cases the end result is devastation for the victim and their credit history. This being the case, it is obvious that people need some type of protection but what is available?
Traditional identity theft services can be broken down into several categories such as credit monitoring services, identity theft insurance, or restoration services. Credit monitoring may give someone a false sense of security because by the time the monitoring service finds a problem, the identity of the client has already been compromised. Insurance and restoration services are also reactionary and do nothing to prevent the crime as they are designed to help consumers after they have become victims. Identity theft insurance reimburses you for the costs of restoring your identity and a restoration service will often provide a representative to handle the time consuming aspect of restoring your credit.
While identity theft insurance and restoration services can be a big help to someone that has fallen victim to identity theft, a more ideal solution would be a program that prevents the theft in the first place. LifeLock is said to be different because it is a system designed to prevent your identity from being stolen rather than reporting it after the fact. The company claims that it is so confident with their service that their CEO commonly publishes his own social security number because he knows his identity is safe. To guarantee this high-quality protection, LifeLock hires companies to continually try to break into the system. If LifeLock is so effective then we must wonder how it works.
LifeLock claims to maintain locks on your credit file and keeps the locks current as they will normally expire every 90 days. The company also removes your name from pre-approved credit card offers. LifeLock offers two separate plans, one for business and the other one for individuals. For individuals, LifeLock charges a per-person monthly fee and has a discount for your children and is now said to be offering free and reduced cost to veterans. Businesses too have experienced similar success with LifeLock in terms of protecting the identities of its employees. While it is easy to see how LifeLock can benefit a large business and does work for an individual, cant someone simply do everything on their own to avoid the monthly charge?
Other then the fact that LifeLock employs Identityguard which monitors your credit reports monthly which you can’t do for free, there is nothing else that LifeLock does that an individual cant do on there own. The LifeLock program is basically a service of convenience that offers the customer a sense of security without the stress of taking care of all the little details of securing their identity not to mention remembering to keep the alerts active when they run out. In todays world it is obvious that we all need some type of protection from identity theft and whether you decide to take care of it on your own or choose a program such as LifeLock is not as important as taking some type of action to protect yourself.
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The Reason You Should Get a Good Identity Theft Services
By admin | November 12, 2008
Ty Wagner asked:
It’s not a secret that identity theft is one of the leading crimes in Americas today, but very few know how to protect themselves against this horrible crime. Do to this massive criminal act, identity theft services are starting to form new empires to protect your identity. Services like LifeLock, Trusted ID and ID Watchdog just to name a few are businesses that help your identity stay secure.
Most people don’t know that you can simply do what these services do for you on your own, but this is where time management comes in. If you don’t feel like checking your credit reports every 3 months and staying on the phone to see if your credit has been tampered with, then a good identity theft service is for you. But if you want to save a few extra dollars a month then by all means do this yourself.
During these times in the US, the falling dollar and inflations in oil and food prices has more Americans making better financial choices to stay a float. Getting an identity theft service might be out of your reach at the time, but when the time is right you will need to choose the best service to keep your identity safe.
Don’t forget about your children as well. As long as they have a social security number, they can also become a victim of identity theft. Sometimes family members use each others social security number buy things and it ends up hurting the persons credit that they used. This is still a form of identity theft and services on the market today can keep up with your credit and your family members so things like this won’t hit home.
Getting an identity theft service may require a little research on your part. You definitely don’t won’t to join a small identity theft service that promises everything except keeping you safe from identity thieves. Take your time and research the reviews on the companies mentioned and see if any of them might fit your needs.
A good identity theft service is very important these days if you haven’t noticed the news. It may save you and your kids financial future and it give you one less thing to worry about and stay stressed over. There are many to pick from that are highly recommended by most consumers looking for this type of service. Just see what most of them offer and join.
A good identity theft prevention service is nice to have if you don’t feel like monitoring your credit reports, it is definitely a solution when trying automate this process.
Create a video blog…instantly.
It’s not a secret that identity theft is one of the leading crimes in Americas today, but very few know how to protect themselves against this horrible crime. Do to this massive criminal act, identity theft services are starting to form new empires to protect your identity. Services like LifeLock, Trusted ID and ID Watchdog just to name a few are businesses that help your identity stay secure.
Most people don’t know that you can simply do what these services do for you on your own, but this is where time management comes in. If you don’t feel like checking your credit reports every 3 months and staying on the phone to see if your credit has been tampered with, then a good identity theft service is for you. But if you want to save a few extra dollars a month then by all means do this yourself.
During these times in the US, the falling dollar and inflations in oil and food prices has more Americans making better financial choices to stay a float. Getting an identity theft service might be out of your reach at the time, but when the time is right you will need to choose the best service to keep your identity safe.
Don’t forget about your children as well. As long as they have a social security number, they can also become a victim of identity theft. Sometimes family members use each others social security number buy things and it ends up hurting the persons credit that they used. This is still a form of identity theft and services on the market today can keep up with your credit and your family members so things like this won’t hit home.
Getting an identity theft service may require a little research on your part. You definitely don’t won’t to join a small identity theft service that promises everything except keeping you safe from identity thieves. Take your time and research the reviews on the companies mentioned and see if any of them might fit your needs.
A good identity theft service is very important these days if you haven’t noticed the news. It may save you and your kids financial future and it give you one less thing to worry about and stay stressed over. There are many to pick from that are highly recommended by most consumers looking for this type of service. Just see what most of them offer and join.
A good identity theft prevention service is nice to have if you don’t feel like monitoring your credit reports, it is definitely a solution when trying automate this process.
Create a video blog…instantly.
Topics: Finance | No Comments »
Your Data Is Your Life! How To Back It Up, Secure It, Sync It And Sleep Better At Night.
By admin | November 4, 2008
Tom Heatherington asked:
No one likes to admit it, but by January 3rd. each year we’ve mostly forgotten or postponed our well-intentioned New Year’s resolutions of self improvement. How many of us have chosen ‘losing weight’ as one of our personal pledges? Although a healthier lifestyle is an admirable goal, I will suggest that the most critical resolution is that we take steps to ensure the weight we lose is not from our bank account or our hard drive. Personal security in all areas of our lives should be resolution number one. It does not matter that New Year’s Eve is history and this wasn’t on your list, getting yourself protected and your data backed-up securely is no longer something anyone should put off.
Our electronic world is fraught with external computer threats and internal software and hardware problems. Viruses and Trojans batter your firewall relentlessly and at some point almost every hard drive will fail. It is not a question of if it will happen to you, but when it will happen. In addition, this brave new world of ours offers universal Internet access. Criminals behind bars and the criminal who lives down the block can find their way into your home or your business and plunder your electronic records. If the bad guys don’t get you, their malicious viruses eventually will - it’s only a matter of time.
The objective of every person who owns a computer must be bulletproof security for personal data, protection of our personal identity and all related digital information. There is no more important resolution you can make than to protect yourself and your family from digital loss or theft. To make matters worse, managing and organizing our personal data is getting increasingly more complex. We store our data on our desktops, copy updates from our laptops and try to juggle everything between our Blackberry or cell phone.
For the average non-techie user (that would be most of us), this data dance is reaching the ‘out of control’ stage. Fortunately there are a number of things we can do using inexpensive or free products and services to help wrangle this back under control. As a small business consultant and one who earns a living online, I was forced to discover a solution that was secure, convenient, scalable and cost effective. After security, my primary issue was the convenience factor; I needed something that was basically automatic. I have forgotten to backup critical files in the past and I’ve lost a number of hard drives over the years, and I never want to relive those experiences.
The following recommendations are not hypothetical or offered purely as well meaning advice, this is how I manage, backup, protect and sync my data with inexpensive products and services that I use every day.
Data Backup:
My desktop computer performs a full hard drive backup as I sleep using a remote backup service called Mozy. I have talked about Mozy in previous articles that are available on my website. Mozy is 100% automatic, secure and incredibly economical! They use 128-bit SSL encryption during the data transfer process, which is the same method banks use. 448-bit Blowfish encryption secures your files on their servers keeping your data safe from hackers. Mozy backs up your files whether they’re open or closed and it backs up Outlook files providing disaster-proof email protection. World-class unlimited backup, state-of-the-art security, automatic administration and 100% peace of mind will set you back a whopping $4.95 per month. Duh! That shouldn’t require much thought.
I am not paranoid about data loss (well maybe a little), but in addition to Mozy I sometimes employ a local backup. There are occasions where I have created important documents, written chapters in a book or made site-wide changes to a website and it could be many hours before Mozy begins its nightly backup. In such cases I will do a quick backup to an external drive such as a Maxtor or Flash drive. If you have ever accidentally lost a document that you slaved over for hours… you’ll understand.
Data Synchronization:
Once you have put your main data backup service in place, you’ll want to coordinate the synchronizing of data between all of your computers and peripheral networks or devices. The best solution I have found is a program called GoodSync, which will synchronize data between your desktop PC and laptop, home and office computers, computer and removable devices (USB Key, Flash Drive, CDRW disc), over a local network or the Internet. PC Magazine, Network World and other trusted sites give GoodSync their seal of approval and you can add my endorsement to that list.
GoodSync offers true bi-directional synchronization, which prevents the deletion of files and data loss. Like Mozy, GoodSync is by far the easiest and most intuitive syncing program I have discovered at any price. GoodSync offers effortless automatic synchronization, and this is another no-brainer. You can download and use GoodSync for free, but I would recommend that you upgrade to GoodSync Pro for $19 and use all of their amazing features and free updates.
Data Protection:
My antivirus program of choice is avast! Home Edition. I have been using this program for years and I have never had an incident. avast! is a full-featured antivirus package designed for home users and non-commercial use and the Home Edition is free of charge. I’m sure you are curious as to why such a robust program would be free. It is their opinion that it is possible to prevent global viruses from spreading by efficient prevention, and many users are not able to or do not want to pay for antivirus software. I think the marketing twist is that when you see how well this program performs, you’ll buy the commercial version for your business.
Resident protection (the real-time protection of the operating system), is one of the most important parts of an antivirus program. avast! features a powerful resident module that is able to detect a virus before it has any chance to infect your computer. You can expect 100% detection of In-the-Wild viruses (viruses already spreading between users) and excellent detection of Trojan horses.
Personal Security:
While we are talking about securing and backing up personal data, it is my opinion that the job is not complete until you have protected yourself. You have medical and life insurance, but odds are that you do not yet have ‘identity insurance’. Identity theft occurs to someone in America every few seconds and it is reaching epidemic proportions.
I remember the early days of the commercial Internet when rumors began to circulate about malicious programs that were being spread by file downloads. The early virus attacks were harmless by today’s standards and antivirus programs hadn’t yet been introduced. They were mostly rumors back then, but everyone seemed to know someone - who knew someone - who had been attacked by such a ‘virus’. It wasn’t long before such a thing developed into a global calamity and antivirus software became the first program you loaded onto a new computer.
I believe that is where we find ourselves today as it relates to Identity Theft. Although this is one of the fastest growing crimes, we are in the early stage of a global scourge. You’ve probably heard Paul Harvey or Sean Hannity talk on the radio about a company called LifeLock. LifeLock gets a lot of attention because their CEO Todd Davis publishes his Social Security number online. LifeLock is a proactive identity theft protection agency, specializing in prevention of identity theft rather than just the reporting of it. LifeLock, founded in 2005, is already considered the industry leader.
Such crimes are an unfortunate part of living in our modern world, but there is something you can do to protect yourself from even the craftiest identity thieves. This is by far the cheapest insurance you can buy to prevent identity theft from happening to you. LifeLock is the Identity Theft Prevention Solution backed by a one-million dollar guarantee! I probably will not publish my Social Security Number on the Internet, but I am a customer of LifeLock and the have peace of mind in knowing that I have closed the loop on my security concerns for the New Year and beyond.
DIY Security
When it comes to our personal data, losing it or having it stolen is a devastating, life altering experience. None of us question the need for medical insurance and life insurance, but few of us have identity or data insurance safeguarding us. This is no longer something you should put off as next year’s resolution. You can implement a strategy such as I outlined above for a few dollars per month, and you can DIY in a matter of hours.
When your data insurance is in place, I would be willing to bet you’ll have the most restful night’s sleep you can remember, and there will be no hangover in the morning regardless of how much data you did the night before. To learn more about the things I mentioned in this article and other time-saving data management tools for non-geeks; visit the website at www.DIY-Secure.com.
Content
No one likes to admit it, but by January 3rd. each year we’ve mostly forgotten or postponed our well-intentioned New Year’s resolutions of self improvement. How many of us have chosen ‘losing weight’ as one of our personal pledges? Although a healthier lifestyle is an admirable goal, I will suggest that the most critical resolution is that we take steps to ensure the weight we lose is not from our bank account or our hard drive. Personal security in all areas of our lives should be resolution number one. It does not matter that New Year’s Eve is history and this wasn’t on your list, getting yourself protected and your data backed-up securely is no longer something anyone should put off.
Our electronic world is fraught with external computer threats and internal software and hardware problems. Viruses and Trojans batter your firewall relentlessly and at some point almost every hard drive will fail. It is not a question of if it will happen to you, but when it will happen. In addition, this brave new world of ours offers universal Internet access. Criminals behind bars and the criminal who lives down the block can find their way into your home or your business and plunder your electronic records. If the bad guys don’t get you, their malicious viruses eventually will - it’s only a matter of time.
The objective of every person who owns a computer must be bulletproof security for personal data, protection of our personal identity and all related digital information. There is no more important resolution you can make than to protect yourself and your family from digital loss or theft. To make matters worse, managing and organizing our personal data is getting increasingly more complex. We store our data on our desktops, copy updates from our laptops and try to juggle everything between our Blackberry or cell phone.
For the average non-techie user (that would be most of us), this data dance is reaching the ‘out of control’ stage. Fortunately there are a number of things we can do using inexpensive or free products and services to help wrangle this back under control. As a small business consultant and one who earns a living online, I was forced to discover a solution that was secure, convenient, scalable and cost effective. After security, my primary issue was the convenience factor; I needed something that was basically automatic. I have forgotten to backup critical files in the past and I’ve lost a number of hard drives over the years, and I never want to relive those experiences.
The following recommendations are not hypothetical or offered purely as well meaning advice, this is how I manage, backup, protect and sync my data with inexpensive products and services that I use every day.
Data Backup:
My desktop computer performs a full hard drive backup as I sleep using a remote backup service called Mozy. I have talked about Mozy in previous articles that are available on my website. Mozy is 100% automatic, secure and incredibly economical! They use 128-bit SSL encryption during the data transfer process, which is the same method banks use. 448-bit Blowfish encryption secures your files on their servers keeping your data safe from hackers. Mozy backs up your files whether they’re open or closed and it backs up Outlook files providing disaster-proof email protection. World-class unlimited backup, state-of-the-art security, automatic administration and 100% peace of mind will set you back a whopping $4.95 per month. Duh! That shouldn’t require much thought.
I am not paranoid about data loss (well maybe a little), but in addition to Mozy I sometimes employ a local backup. There are occasions where I have created important documents, written chapters in a book or made site-wide changes to a website and it could be many hours before Mozy begins its nightly backup. In such cases I will do a quick backup to an external drive such as a Maxtor or Flash drive. If you have ever accidentally lost a document that you slaved over for hours… you’ll understand.
Data Synchronization:
Once you have put your main data backup service in place, you’ll want to coordinate the synchronizing of data between all of your computers and peripheral networks or devices. The best solution I have found is a program called GoodSync, which will synchronize data between your desktop PC and laptop, home and office computers, computer and removable devices (USB Key, Flash Drive, CDRW disc), over a local network or the Internet. PC Magazine, Network World and other trusted sites give GoodSync their seal of approval and you can add my endorsement to that list.
GoodSync offers true bi-directional synchronization, which prevents the deletion of files and data loss. Like Mozy, GoodSync is by far the easiest and most intuitive syncing program I have discovered at any price. GoodSync offers effortless automatic synchronization, and this is another no-brainer. You can download and use GoodSync for free, but I would recommend that you upgrade to GoodSync Pro for $19 and use all of their amazing features and free updates.
Data Protection:
My antivirus program of choice is avast! Home Edition. I have been using this program for years and I have never had an incident. avast! is a full-featured antivirus package designed for home users and non-commercial use and the Home Edition is free of charge. I’m sure you are curious as to why such a robust program would be free. It is their opinion that it is possible to prevent global viruses from spreading by efficient prevention, and many users are not able to or do not want to pay for antivirus software. I think the marketing twist is that when you see how well this program performs, you’ll buy the commercial version for your business.
Resident protection (the real-time protection of the operating system), is one of the most important parts of an antivirus program. avast! features a powerful resident module that is able to detect a virus before it has any chance to infect your computer. You can expect 100% detection of In-the-Wild viruses (viruses already spreading between users) and excellent detection of Trojan horses.
Personal Security:
While we are talking about securing and backing up personal data, it is my opinion that the job is not complete until you have protected yourself. You have medical and life insurance, but odds are that you do not yet have ‘identity insurance’. Identity theft occurs to someone in America every few seconds and it is reaching epidemic proportions.
I remember the early days of the commercial Internet when rumors began to circulate about malicious programs that were being spread by file downloads. The early virus attacks were harmless by today’s standards and antivirus programs hadn’t yet been introduced. They were mostly rumors back then, but everyone seemed to know someone - who knew someone - who had been attacked by such a ‘virus’. It wasn’t long before such a thing developed into a global calamity and antivirus software became the first program you loaded onto a new computer.
I believe that is where we find ourselves today as it relates to Identity Theft. Although this is one of the fastest growing crimes, we are in the early stage of a global scourge. You’ve probably heard Paul Harvey or Sean Hannity talk on the radio about a company called LifeLock. LifeLock gets a lot of attention because their CEO Todd Davis publishes his Social Security number online. LifeLock is a proactive identity theft protection agency, specializing in prevention of identity theft rather than just the reporting of it. LifeLock, founded in 2005, is already considered the industry leader.
Such crimes are an unfortunate part of living in our modern world, but there is something you can do to protect yourself from even the craftiest identity thieves. This is by far the cheapest insurance you can buy to prevent identity theft from happening to you. LifeLock is the Identity Theft Prevention Solution backed by a one-million dollar guarantee! I probably will not publish my Social Security Number on the Internet, but I am a customer of LifeLock and the have peace of mind in knowing that I have closed the loop on my security concerns for the New Year and beyond.
DIY Security
When it comes to our personal data, losing it or having it stolen is a devastating, life altering experience. None of us question the need for medical insurance and life insurance, but few of us have identity or data insurance safeguarding us. This is no longer something you should put off as next year’s resolution. You can implement a strategy such as I outlined above for a few dollars per month, and you can DIY in a matter of hours.
When your data insurance is in place, I would be willing to bet you’ll have the most restful night’s sleep you can remember, and there will be no hangover in the morning regardless of how much data you did the night before. To learn more about the things I mentioned in this article and other time-saving data management tools for non-geeks; visit the website at www.DIY-Secure.com.
Content
Topics: Computers | No Comments »
Identity Theft Prevention Services
By admin | November 4, 2008
Pj Germain asked:
Identity thieves are becoming more sophisticated with every passing day. Don’t wait until it’s too late. Identity theft can happen anywhere to anyone. In line at the store, online at home or when you’re buying your morning coffee. Identity theft is one of the most common problems that people face today. Any of your personal information can be used to commit the crime.
Identity theft-protection company Lifelock is in the news this morning. The company, headed by CEO Todd Davis, is known for its challenge ad (reproduced below) which has been running for a couple of years. Identity theft can happen anytime, anywhere, to anyone. Identity fraud has become a huge concern in today’s new age and even though precautions have been taken to correct the situation there has not been much success. In the US approximately 120 million citizens had their private records exposed in the last three years causing approximately 27 million Americans to become identity theft victims.
Identity theft in the most extreme cases allows people to get insurance in your name, open false bank accounts and even can provide a cover when arrested for other crimes. Ident-A-Kid’s Immediate Response Card systems utilize an extremely fast digital data acquisition system. A complete profile of each child, including fingerprint, photograph, height and weight, is acquired in less than 15 seconds. Identity theft is the most rapidly growing crime in the world. It’s now bringing in more money than drug trafficking.
Credit
Credit card fraud is the most common form of ‘identity theft.’ It threatens no liability and only a little bit of inconvenience to most consumers in the United States - consumers that are prudent, anyway. And I’ve never understood what these services would or could do to prevent or mitigate a true impersonation fraud. Credit card companies still sent actual credit cards in their pre-approval mailings and one was stolen out of my mailbox. A year later, I received a collection notice that over $2000 was charged at a retailer blocks away from my home. Credit card fraud is often confused for identity theft because of those clever commercials with the funny voice-overs but it’s really a walk in the park compared to identity theft. It won’t take just a few phone calls to clear it up either.
Credit monitoring is an afterthought. What credit monitoring is, is selling you your own data.
Credit Fraud
In the long run, credit fraud consistently hurts all of us. No one is totally absorbing these costs by themselves. They continually get passed on to the consumers. There are several fraud alert mechanisms that ensure that creditors notify you and verify your identity before any new line of credit is opened in your name. One of today’s most common mechanisms is the new and famous LifeLock.
LifeLock
You can protect your credit (and your family’s credit) with some outstanding features provided by LifeLock. At the time of this writing, there are even several websites offering LifeLock coupons. You can simply run a simple search engine query on “LifeLock coupons” and you’re sure to come across several sites to review and choose from. LifeLock is indeed a big name in identity theft prevention today. Some say it is a bit overkill, some say it’s exactly what they needed. Review the information carefully and you decide.
Create a video blog
Identity thieves are becoming more sophisticated with every passing day. Don’t wait until it’s too late. Identity theft can happen anywhere to anyone. In line at the store, online at home or when you’re buying your morning coffee. Identity theft is one of the most common problems that people face today. Any of your personal information can be used to commit the crime.
Identity theft-protection company Lifelock is in the news this morning. The company, headed by CEO Todd Davis, is known for its challenge ad (reproduced below) which has been running for a couple of years. Identity theft can happen anytime, anywhere, to anyone. Identity fraud has become a huge concern in today’s new age and even though precautions have been taken to correct the situation there has not been much success. In the US approximately 120 million citizens had their private records exposed in the last three years causing approximately 27 million Americans to become identity theft victims.
Identity theft in the most extreme cases allows people to get insurance in your name, open false bank accounts and even can provide a cover when arrested for other crimes. Ident-A-Kid’s Immediate Response Card systems utilize an extremely fast digital data acquisition system. A complete profile of each child, including fingerprint, photograph, height and weight, is acquired in less than 15 seconds. Identity theft is the most rapidly growing crime in the world. It’s now bringing in more money than drug trafficking.
Credit
Credit card fraud is the most common form of ‘identity theft.’ It threatens no liability and only a little bit of inconvenience to most consumers in the United States - consumers that are prudent, anyway. And I’ve never understood what these services would or could do to prevent or mitigate a true impersonation fraud. Credit card companies still sent actual credit cards in their pre-approval mailings and one was stolen out of my mailbox. A year later, I received a collection notice that over $2000 was charged at a retailer blocks away from my home. Credit card fraud is often confused for identity theft because of those clever commercials with the funny voice-overs but it’s really a walk in the park compared to identity theft. It won’t take just a few phone calls to clear it up either.
Credit monitoring is an afterthought. What credit monitoring is, is selling you your own data.
Credit Fraud
In the long run, credit fraud consistently hurts all of us. No one is totally absorbing these costs by themselves. They continually get passed on to the consumers. There are several fraud alert mechanisms that ensure that creditors notify you and verify your identity before any new line of credit is opened in your name. One of today’s most common mechanisms is the new and famous LifeLock.
LifeLock
You can protect your credit (and your family’s credit) with some outstanding features provided by LifeLock. At the time of this writing, there are even several websites offering LifeLock coupons. You can simply run a simple search engine query on “LifeLock coupons” and you’re sure to come across several sites to review and choose from. LifeLock is indeed a big name in identity theft prevention today. Some say it is a bit overkill, some say it’s exactly what they needed. Review the information carefully and you decide.
Create a video blog
Topics: Cyber Law | No Comments »
Booming Growth in Affiliate Marketing: What’s Next?
By admin | October 29, 2008
Christian Fea asked:
Copyright (c) 2008 Christian Fea
The secret is out - affiliate marketing is an excellent source of promoting your business, building a great reputation and client base without having to spend extensive budgets on advertising. Not only have sole proprietorships grown their businesses exponentially with affiliate marketing, but the big boys of business are jumping on the bandwagon as well. Companies ranging from LifeLock to Virgin Mobile and EuroStar have initiated very successful affiliate marketing campaigns - cementing the tremendous efficiency of this promotional strategy.
Research shows tremendous increase in affiliate marketing
According to the British research firm, E-consultancy, affiliate marketing has grown more than 45% in the UK alone, generating an increase of £3.13 billion ($4.65 billion USD) in the last year - and these are only conservative estimates for one country. Imagine how much affiliate marketing is growing in the United States and worldwide.
What can the tremendous popularity of affiliate marketing be attributed to? Further studies show that 95% of companies that engage in affiliate marketing appreciate how “cost-effective” this strategy is, especially in growing customer bases and increased revenues.
Indeed, there are no significant start-up costs when it comes to starting an affiliate marketing program. You do not need to pay for ad spots, radio slots, pay-per-click, or banner advertisements. Instead, you simply need to derive a lucrative incentive or commission structure - and you experience no risk. As a performance based compensation program, you only pay commission when you make a sale.
2008 trends in affiliate marketing
Although the murmur surrounding Web 2.0 has diminished, social networking is still a powerful platform for affiliate marketing. Indeed, many websites utilize social networking sites, such as YouTube, Digg, and Del.icio.us, to generate powerful back links (which are critical for increasing search engine rankings), as well as a strong source of natural traffic.
There are also new opportunities for social network marketing. One great example is Facebook’s opening for social advertisements on its immensely popular website. In addition, with the new media outlets slated to open in 2008, it will become easier to match your affiliate marketing program with niche topics - such as retirement planning, travel, and home d?r. Other developments in widget advertising have truly flourished, and these outlets will provide niche methods of finding your exact customer base. Widgets are much more dynamic and visually interesting than banner ads, and thus, people are more likely to download them, use them, and keep them on their desktop - making your affiliate marketing even more visible.
Changes in technology will also assist affiliate marketing efforts, as companies can now increase the efficiency in tracking sales, traffic, and conversions - meaning there is an ease of management for both the company and affiliates’ parts.
To manage a successful affiliate marketing campaign in 2008, you will need more than attractive commission structures. Offering competitive and lucrative commission structures - while simultaneously providing the support needed, will create a successful affiliate marketing relationship for both parties involved. These innovative strategies and support systems will help you maximize the revenues from affiliate marketing.
Content
Copyright (c) 2008 Christian Fea
The secret is out - affiliate marketing is an excellent source of promoting your business, building a great reputation and client base without having to spend extensive budgets on advertising. Not only have sole proprietorships grown their businesses exponentially with affiliate marketing, but the big boys of business are jumping on the bandwagon as well. Companies ranging from LifeLock to Virgin Mobile and EuroStar have initiated very successful affiliate marketing campaigns - cementing the tremendous efficiency of this promotional strategy.
Research shows tremendous increase in affiliate marketing
According to the British research firm, E-consultancy, affiliate marketing has grown more than 45% in the UK alone, generating an increase of £3.13 billion ($4.65 billion USD) in the last year - and these are only conservative estimates for one country. Imagine how much affiliate marketing is growing in the United States and worldwide.
What can the tremendous popularity of affiliate marketing be attributed to? Further studies show that 95% of companies that engage in affiliate marketing appreciate how “cost-effective” this strategy is, especially in growing customer bases and increased revenues.
Indeed, there are no significant start-up costs when it comes to starting an affiliate marketing program. You do not need to pay for ad spots, radio slots, pay-per-click, or banner advertisements. Instead, you simply need to derive a lucrative incentive or commission structure - and you experience no risk. As a performance based compensation program, you only pay commission when you make a sale.
2008 trends in affiliate marketing
Although the murmur surrounding Web 2.0 has diminished, social networking is still a powerful platform for affiliate marketing. Indeed, many websites utilize social networking sites, such as YouTube, Digg, and Del.icio.us, to generate powerful back links (which are critical for increasing search engine rankings), as well as a strong source of natural traffic.
There are also new opportunities for social network marketing. One great example is Facebook’s opening for social advertisements on its immensely popular website. In addition, with the new media outlets slated to open in 2008, it will become easier to match your affiliate marketing program with niche topics - such as retirement planning, travel, and home d?r. Other developments in widget advertising have truly flourished, and these outlets will provide niche methods of finding your exact customer base. Widgets are much more dynamic and visually interesting than banner ads, and thus, people are more likely to download them, use them, and keep them on their desktop - making your affiliate marketing even more visible.
Changes in technology will also assist affiliate marketing efforts, as companies can now increase the efficiency in tracking sales, traffic, and conversions - meaning there is an ease of management for both the company and affiliates’ parts.
To manage a successful affiliate marketing campaign in 2008, you will need more than attractive commission structures. Offering competitive and lucrative commission structures - while simultaneously providing the support needed, will create a successful affiliate marketing relationship for both parties involved. These innovative strategies and support systems will help you maximize the revenues from affiliate marketing.
Content
Topics: Internet | No Comments »
Are you Ready for the Next Wave of Identity Theft?
By admin | October 29, 2008
Dewey Kearney asked:
As everyone knows unless you have been asleep like Rip Van Winkle identity theft has become the #1 crime wave in the U.S.A. according to the FBI and the US Postal Service.
Now a new fear has raised its head because of the recent federal and the state laws that go into effect on January 1, 2008. For years anyone in the country illegally could (and still can) purchase any type of document on the street from some vendor. These fake documents can range from a Social Security card, drivers license, green card or practically anything else people are willing to pay for.
Recently the Arizona Republic ran a three-page article on how easy these documents were to obtain. Arizona and Phoenix are both rated #1 in identity theft. Arizona police have seized 2,134 fraudulent documents in the last two years. And note, that’s just what they found, not what’s out there. Further the Republic says police have received 3400 identity-theft complaints from January 1, 2006 through June 30, 2007.
According to the Arizona Republic the authorities fear the fake identity industry will grow as migrants look for ways to circumvent the state’s new employer-sanctions law and a new Bush administration crackdown on illegal workers.
With the job markets for illegal immigrants closing the police statewide look for more identity thefts in order to obtain authentic numbers. “It’s growing and it’s pervasive,” says Lt. Giles Tipsword of the Phoenix Police Department’s property crimes bureau. “This is a multimillion-dollar industry”.
To give some idea of the size of this industry look at these figures:
· 1.5 Million Dollars in Cash seized from fraudulent-document makers operating in Arizona in the last 2 years.
· 491 fake green cards
· 487 Social Security Cards bought by undercover officers
· 172 Drivers licenses bought by undercover officers
· 147 Computers seized
· 217 People arrested
· And you know they didn’t get them all, that goes without saying.
Arizona’s new employer-sanctions law requires companies to verify worker eligibility through a federal database. Lawmakers in other states are taking steps to make it more difficult for illegal immigrants to get fake documents. And under new rules announced last week the Bush administration employers face prosecution if they don’t fire workers whose names and Social Security numbers don’t match.
Nobody expects the fake document industry to dry up and disappear. If anything those in the know say they expect it to get bigger and more sophisticated as criminals who make fake documents adapt to meet the demand. The database can’t flag documents made with stolen identities, where the names and numbers match.
According to Leesa Berens Morrison, the director of the Arizona Department Homeland Security, “There is a good potential for an increase in identity theft and also an increase in the manufacture and sale of fraudulent documents”.
In July, Governor Napolitano signed a tough employer-sanctions law aimed at turning off the job magnet that draws so many illegal immigrants. That law which takes effect January 1, 2008 revokes the business license of employers who knowingly hire illegal workers a second time. It also requires the more than 150,000 licensed Arizona employers to run Social Security and other data for new employees through the federal Basic Pilot Program, an electronic verification system. For the record Arizona businesses employ about 1.6 million workers.
The Basic Pilot Program is designed to determine whether an employee is authorized to work in the U.S. As a result, local, state and federal authorities anticipate a rise in identity theft. They expect to see fake-document makers morphing into large-scale criminal enterprises producing high quality fraudulent documents made with real names and real Social Security numbers stolen from someone else. The trick here is not to let yourself be one of those!
IDENTITY THEFT PROTECTION
Undocumented immigrants frequently use illegally obtained identification numbers to gain employment. Victims of this type of identity theft may not suffer financial harm initially because of its intended use. However, down the road you don’t know but what that person may decide to see if they can get a credit card, or buy a house or car – do you see where this is going? They become you! Even if they don’t it will still take you many hours to unravel the web they will have woven. Here is what you can do to protect yourself.
· The first thing you should do is subscribe to LifeLock. There is no finer protection available. And all for about $10 per month.
· Review all bank and credit card statements monthly.
· Notify banks or credit card companies immediately of any unauthorized activity.
· Write “Ask for photo ID next to your signature on the back of your credit cards.
· Ask your credit card company to stop sending blank checks with statements.
· Carefully review your credit reports. Each of the three major credit bureaus must provide a free copy once every 12 months. When you subscribe to LifeLock they will take care of this for you.
· Keep documents with personal information, credit card account information and PIN numbers in a safe place.
· Use a credit card, not a debit card when ordering on-line or by phone. Credit cards offer greater protection to consumers.
· Guard your Social Security number. Never carry your Social Security card with you.
· Do not give out your Social Security number unless it is required for employment, bank account or other legitimate purpose.
· Do not put your Social Security number on your driver’s license.
Reference: Arizona Republic
Article August 19, 2007
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As everyone knows unless you have been asleep like Rip Van Winkle identity theft has become the #1 crime wave in the U.S.A. according to the FBI and the US Postal Service.
Now a new fear has raised its head because of the recent federal and the state laws that go into effect on January 1, 2008. For years anyone in the country illegally could (and still can) purchase any type of document on the street from some vendor. These fake documents can range from a Social Security card, drivers license, green card or practically anything else people are willing to pay for.
Recently the Arizona Republic ran a three-page article on how easy these documents were to obtain. Arizona and Phoenix are both rated #1 in identity theft. Arizona police have seized 2,134 fraudulent documents in the last two years. And note, that’s just what they found, not what’s out there. Further the Republic says police have received 3400 identity-theft complaints from January 1, 2006 through June 30, 2007.
According to the Arizona Republic the authorities fear the fake identity industry will grow as migrants look for ways to circumvent the state’s new employer-sanctions law and a new Bush administration crackdown on illegal workers.
With the job markets for illegal immigrants closing the police statewide look for more identity thefts in order to obtain authentic numbers. “It’s growing and it’s pervasive,” says Lt. Giles Tipsword of the Phoenix Police Department’s property crimes bureau. “This is a multimillion-dollar industry”.
To give some idea of the size of this industry look at these figures:
· 1.5 Million Dollars in Cash seized from fraudulent-document makers operating in Arizona in the last 2 years.
· 491 fake green cards
· 487 Social Security Cards bought by undercover officers
· 172 Drivers licenses bought by undercover officers
· 147 Computers seized
· 217 People arrested
· And you know they didn’t get them all, that goes without saying.
Arizona’s new employer-sanctions law requires companies to verify worker eligibility through a federal database. Lawmakers in other states are taking steps to make it more difficult for illegal immigrants to get fake documents. And under new rules announced last week the Bush administration employers face prosecution if they don’t fire workers whose names and Social Security numbers don’t match.
Nobody expects the fake document industry to dry up and disappear. If anything those in the know say they expect it to get bigger and more sophisticated as criminals who make fake documents adapt to meet the demand. The database can’t flag documents made with stolen identities, where the names and numbers match.
According to Leesa Berens Morrison, the director of the Arizona Department Homeland Security, “There is a good potential for an increase in identity theft and also an increase in the manufacture and sale of fraudulent documents”.
In July, Governor Napolitano signed a tough employer-sanctions law aimed at turning off the job magnet that draws so many illegal immigrants. That law which takes effect January 1, 2008 revokes the business license of employers who knowingly hire illegal workers a second time. It also requires the more than 150,000 licensed Arizona employers to run Social Security and other data for new employees through the federal Basic Pilot Program, an electronic verification system. For the record Arizona businesses employ about 1.6 million workers.
The Basic Pilot Program is designed to determine whether an employee is authorized to work in the U.S. As a result, local, state and federal authorities anticipate a rise in identity theft. They expect to see fake-document makers morphing into large-scale criminal enterprises producing high quality fraudulent documents made with real names and real Social Security numbers stolen from someone else. The trick here is not to let yourself be one of those!
IDENTITY THEFT PROTECTION
Undocumented immigrants frequently use illegally obtained identification numbers to gain employment. Victims of this type of identity theft may not suffer financial harm initially because of its intended use. However, down the road you don’t know but what that person may decide to see if they can get a credit card, or buy a house or car – do you see where this is going? They become you! Even if they don’t it will still take you many hours to unravel the web they will have woven. Here is what you can do to protect yourself.
· The first thing you should do is subscribe to LifeLock. There is no finer protection available. And all for about $10 per month.
· Review all bank and credit card statements monthly.
· Notify banks or credit card companies immediately of any unauthorized activity.
· Write “Ask for photo ID next to your signature on the back of your credit cards.
· Ask your credit card company to stop sending blank checks with statements.
· Carefully review your credit reports. Each of the three major credit bureaus must provide a free copy once every 12 months. When you subscribe to LifeLock they will take care of this for you.
· Keep documents with personal information, credit card account information and PIN numbers in a safe place.
· Use a credit card, not a debit card when ordering on-line or by phone. Credit cards offer greater protection to consumers.
· Guard your Social Security number. Never carry your Social Security card with you.
· Do not give out your Social Security number unless it is required for employment, bank account or other legitimate purpose.
· Do not put your Social Security number on your driver’s license.
Reference: Arizona Republic
Article August 19, 2007
Content for WordPress
Topics: Personal Finance | No Comments »
The Importance Of Credit Protection Services
By admin | October 25, 2008
Puripong Koomsin asked:
Identity theft is on the rise. It used to be something that we only hear about in the movies. That is no longer the case. Each year thousands of Americans fall prey to identity thieves and those that commit credit fraud. If you still think that there is no chance that it would ever happen to you then you are wrong.
For all you know it may already be happening to you. There are innumerable examples of individuals who were blissfully clueless that they are already victims of credit fraud until it was too late.
One of the best ways to protect ourselves is to practice caution: Don’t be as careless as to who and where you are giving out private information. Don’t be lured by the idea of pre-approved credit cards or loans because criminals sometimes use them as mediums to get personal data from you and use it to set up false accounts.
Remember that the best way of protecting ourselves against identity theft is by extreme caution. The trouble is, most of the time - no matter how cautious we are, few things still fall through the crack and important information land in the hands of individuals with malicious intents.
Another more practical and more proactive way is to secure the services of a credit protection agency. This is where a reliable credit protection service provider comes in. Such an agency will help track your credit movement for you; they will inform you if any unauthorized charges have been made or if someone other than yourself is attempting to set up an account in your name.
It works by notifying your bank, credit providers, credit bureau, and you as their client by making real time alerts when a suspicious or unauthorized change in your accounts happen. Also they can detect when a false account is being made using your personal data like your Name, Address, SSS number or Phone numbers.
Depending on the credit protection service, you may be allowed to check your credit status via the internet. This makes it easier for you, especially if you are away on trips and you need to check your credit status. Credit Protection Service providers do not share information with a third party if you yourself do not allow it.
Even people with bad credit need to avail of the services provided by a credit protection agency. You need this to ensure that no one is taking advantage of your account when you are trying to raise your credit rating.
You have made the right decision to improve your credit rating, this will mean better employment and higher mortgage limits in the future. But all this hope will disappear if some fraudster uses your identity and make damaging accounts. The Credit Protection Service can prevent that from happening.
It is important to note that a Credit Protection Service does not help you raise your credit rating nor does it affect it in any negative way. Protecting yourself from identity theft and credit fraud has never been more important, it is absolutely necessary to keep your guard up and prevent identity theft and fraud before it happens.
Create a video blog
Identity theft is on the rise. It used to be something that we only hear about in the movies. That is no longer the case. Each year thousands of Americans fall prey to identity thieves and those that commit credit fraud. If you still think that there is no chance that it would ever happen to you then you are wrong.
For all you know it may already be happening to you. There are innumerable examples of individuals who were blissfully clueless that they are already victims of credit fraud until it was too late.
One of the best ways to protect ourselves is to practice caution: Don’t be as careless as to who and where you are giving out private information. Don’t be lured by the idea of pre-approved credit cards or loans because criminals sometimes use them as mediums to get personal data from you and use it to set up false accounts.
Remember that the best way of protecting ourselves against identity theft is by extreme caution. The trouble is, most of the time - no matter how cautious we are, few things still fall through the crack and important information land in the hands of individuals with malicious intents.
Another more practical and more proactive way is to secure the services of a credit protection agency. This is where a reliable credit protection service provider comes in. Such an agency will help track your credit movement for you; they will inform you if any unauthorized charges have been made or if someone other than yourself is attempting to set up an account in your name.
It works by notifying your bank, credit providers, credit bureau, and you as their client by making real time alerts when a suspicious or unauthorized change in your accounts happen. Also they can detect when a false account is being made using your personal data like your Name, Address, SSS number or Phone numbers.
Depending on the credit protection service, you may be allowed to check your credit status via the internet. This makes it easier for you, especially if you are away on trips and you need to check your credit status. Credit Protection Service providers do not share information with a third party if you yourself do not allow it.
Even people with bad credit need to avail of the services provided by a credit protection agency. You need this to ensure that no one is taking advantage of your account when you are trying to raise your credit rating.
You have made the right decision to improve your credit rating, this will mean better employment and higher mortgage limits in the future. But all this hope will disappear if some fraudster uses your identity and make damaging accounts. The Credit Protection Service can prevent that from happening.
It is important to note that a Credit Protection Service does not help you raise your credit rating nor does it affect it in any negative way. Protecting yourself from identity theft and credit fraud has never been more important, it is absolutely necessary to keep your guard up and prevent identity theft and fraud before it happens.
Create a video blog
Topics: Finance | No Comments »